NBC
NBC will be airing NBA games for the first time in more than two decades after shelling out a fortune to reacquire the broadcast rights, and it seemed like the legendary “Roundball Rock” theme song would be accompanying that return. However, that may not be the case given the current state of negotiations.
In 1953, the NBA signed its first-ever national broadcast deal with the now-defunct DuMont, but that partnership only lasted a single season before NBC swooped in to kick off a relationship that spanned from 1954 to 1962.
It took close to three decades for the two parties to rekindle things, but they linked up yet again prior to the start of the 1990 season for what was officially dubbed the NBA on NBC.
That marked the start of a glorious 12-year stretch most fans who tuned in associate with “Roundball Rock,” the theme song John Tesh dreamed up in a hotel room in France and initially “recorded” on his answering machine back in the United States so he wouldn’t forget the tune.
The second NBA on NBC Era came to an end when ESPN and ABC became the primary broadcast partners ahead of the 2002-03 campaign, and the triumvirate of networks that also includes TNT spent more than 20 years ruling over that particular domain.
However, there will be another changing of the guard after the current season ends, as the NBA negotiated a massive deal that will net the league around $76 million over the next 11 years to renew its relationship with ABC and ESPN while cutting ties with TNT in favor of NBC and Amazon.
NBC will reportedly fork over $2.5 billion a year for the rights it acquired, and the network announced “Roundball Rock” would be making its grand return to the airwaves in the press release it issued after the contract was finalized. However, it may have spoken a bit too soon.
According to CNBC’s Alex Sherman, NBC is yet to officially acquire the licensing rights to “Roundball Rock” from Tesh due to the unspecified but substantial sum the producer is seeking as they continue to negotiate.
There’s still plenty of time for them to come to an agreement, but there’s also a potential twist when you consider Tesh is reportedly toying with the possibility of selling the rights to a venture capitalist firm that would undoubtedly do everything in its power to milk as much money as it can out of the iconic tune.
At the end of the day, the presence (or absence) of “Roundball Rock” isn’t going to make or break the return of the NBA on NBC. However, it’s pretty obvious NBC knows how beloved it is when you consider it jumped the gun by promoting its return while simultaneously tipping its hand to a man who appears to have the bulk of the leverage.
Sherman cites a source at NBC who said they’re confident the two sides will be able to come to an agreement and bring the current standoff to an end before the season gets underway, but this will be worth keeping an eye on.